Endless Shadow Oneshots
by PierceTheBre
Summary: Endless oneshots about Shadow the Hedgehog, featuring various subjects, issues, and genres! Shadow fangirls, this is for you! In-Progress. Rated T for future chapters. Christmas chapter is now up!
1. Chapter 1 - Shadow Attends a Concert

**This is going to be a bunch of endless Shadow oneshots! Fangirls, rejoice! :3 In this chapter, Cream begs Shadow to attend a concert with her. Shadow agrees to go, despite not knowing who the musician is...who is it? Anyway, in this chapter, there are also some Justin Bieber lyrics, which I clearly don't own. .-. ~PierceTheBre**

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**Endless Shadow Oneshots, Chapter 1 - Shadow Attends a Concert**

"Come with me, Mr. Shadow! Please, Mr. Shadow, please?"

Shadow sighed. Cream was begging him to go to a concert with her. Of course, with Cream being Cream, it was probably some pathetic pop musician.

"Who's playing?"

Cream smiled, her grin stretching from ear to ear. "You'll see when you get there. Just please, please come with me?"

"No way. Sorry. I'm not going unless I know who's playing."

Suddenly, Cream burst into tears and began to wail at the top of her lungs. Shadow quickly covered his ears. He hated when she did this...

"Okay! Fine! I'll go with you to the concert! Just _please_ stop crying!"

Cream immediately stopped crying, and smiled. "Wonderful."

* * *

Cream held Shadow's wrist as she dragged him through the tightly-packed crowd. Whoever the musician was, they hadn't come out yet. "I'm so excited, Mr. Shadow! Thank you so much for coming with me! My mommy was busy, so I'm glad you could chaperone me!"

"Yeah, sure..." Shadow said, feeling uneasy. There were mostly little girls at this concert with their parents. He saw most humans wearing a shirt with a strange-looking little beaver on it, although none of them ever stopped jumping around long enough for him to read the name of the celebrity.

"So, Mr. Shadow," Cream said, her eyes growing wide. "Can you give me some money? I want to buy a shirt!"

Shadow sighed. "Your mom didn't give you any money?"

"She did. But...the souveniers here run sort of...expensive."

"Hmph. How much money are you wanting?"

"I'd say, about 75 rings."

Shadow's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I was going to get us some food, too. You want chili dogs, Mr. Shadow?"

Shadow laughed as he handed Cream the rings. "I'm not that Faker, Sonic! I want some nachos. Oh, and I hope your mom will be paying me back."

"But...we're poor..."

"Poor enough to buy tickets to a concert like this?"

Cream said nothing and ran off to the concession stand.

Shadow sat down at the first seat he saw. While he was looking around, trying to find out what concert it was, he spotted Amy. "Amy!" He shouted.

Amy dashed over. "OhmyGod, Son - oh, hey, Shadow. What are you doing at a concert like this?"

Shadow ignored her Sonic remark. "I'm wondering what I'm doing here, too. Anyway, I was just wondering who's playing at this concert?"

"Dustin Beaver!" Amy said, giddiness evident in her voice.

"Dustin Beaver? Who's that?"

Amy gasped. "You have got to be kidding me! You don't know who _Dustin Beaver_ is?!"

"No. Should I?"

"Yes! I don't even know you anymore," Amy huffed as she walked away.

Finally, Cream returned with two nachos. "Here you go, Mr. Shadow," she said as she handed him the plate holding the cheese-covered chips.

"So, this is a Dustin Beaver concert?"

Cream's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"I know everything."

Cream slowly stuck a nacho into her mouth, and ate even more slowly.

"Hey, everybody!"

"Oh my goodness, it's starting!" Cream shouted.

Shadow looked up to see a female-looking beaver walk onto the stage. The creature then immediately broke into an ear-splitting song.

"_If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go, I can take you places you ain't ever been before_..."

"Oh, God! Cream! What the heck is this?!" Shadow screamed over thousands of roaring fangirls.

"This is what I live for!" Cream screamed back, tears in her eyes.

He had to get out of here. The chaotic screams of the little girls combined with the whine of the mostorous beaver on stage were making his ears ring. Shadow was just about to run out of the building, but then he realized, he couldn't leave Cream alone...

"I'm going to the bathroom! Stay right where you are!" Shadow shouted.

As Shadow made his way through the fangirling crowd, he could hear the beast singing -

"_Swag, swag, swag on you, chillin' by the fire while we eatin' fondue_..."

"Make it stop!" Shadow cried. A few pre-teen girls glared at him. He immediately dashed past the girls and ran into the men's bathroom.

He could still hear the wailing from in there, but at least it wasn't as bad as being in the middle of it all.

Shadow turned on the faucet and splashed water on his face. He could do this. He could do this for that little girl, Cream. He would just let this awful song finish, and then he would go back out there...

Finally, the song ended. Shadow went out of the bathroom and back to his seat by Cream.

"Enjoying the concert, Cream?" Shadow asked, trying to be polite.

Cream ignored him, and was instead shouting "I LOVE YOU, DUSTIN!" at the top of her lungs.

Shadow rolled his eyes. Fangirls were so mindless.

"And now, two very special people in the audience are going to get to come up here and sing with me!" The creature yelled into the microphone as a spotlight came down and landed on Cream and Shadow.

"Oh, look who the lucky people are! A cute little rabbit and a black...hedgehog...thing..."

Shadow sat completely still, feeling the hairs raise on the back of his neck. The audience fell completely quiet. Getting on stage with that thing? Not in his immortal life.

"Mr. Shadow! Oh my goodness! You have to come on stage with me!" Cream cried.

"NO!" Shadow screamed. The beast standing on stage glared at them.

"I'm not singing again until they're both up here," the guy said.

"Thank God!" Shadow retorted back. But he regretted saying that as he noticed a fangirl below him pulling out a small, silver pocketknife...

"Please, Mr. Shadow! It would mean so much to me."

Shadow sighed. "Fine."

Cream screeched with glee, then grabbed Shadow's wrist and led him onstage.

"Now, could I get your names?" The feminine-looking beaver said.

"CREAM THE RABBIT!"

"And yours, bro?"

"I'm not your bro," Shadow snapped. "And you're not getting my name."

"Whatever," The thing said quietly. "Anyway, we're now going to perform my hit single, Baby! And these lucky fans get to sing along onstage!"

Just as Shadow was about to say "I'm not your fan!", the child broke into song.

"_I know you love me, I know you care, just shout whenever, and I'll be there. You want my love, you want my heart_..."

He then stuck the microphone up to Cream and she sang, "_AND WE WILL NEVER EVER EVER BE APART_!"

It was then Shadow's turn. "_I don't know this song, you sing like Satan, and I'm just sayin'_..?"

The demonic beast dropped the microphone, stunned. "How dare you ruin my moment..." he said. "Fangirls...get 'em."

Suddenly, thousands of fangirls rushed onto stage, holding various items that could be used as weapons, such as pocketknifes stolen from their rich daddies, purses, and plastic forks.

"Oh, great," Shadow said. He grabbed Cream and then said "Chaos Control!"

With time frozen, he ran to Cream's house. "Chaos Control!" He said again, setting Cream on a chair in the dining room.

"Mr. Shadow!" Tears flowed down Cream's face. "Why did you take me away from the Dustin Beaver concert?! I was having so much fun spending time with you, too!"

Shadow immediately felt bad. "Look, Cream, I'm sorry. That guy...or girl...or whatever it was, was getting on my nerves. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Cream sniffled. "R-really?"

"Yep. I give you my word."

Cream smiled. "That's great, Mr. Shadow. Because next month, my mommy is buying me backstage passes to a Five Correction concert."

Shadow felt fear squeeze his heart. "Five...?"

"Yep. Five band members. And they're all totally adorable!"

_Dear Lord, save me now_, Shadow thought.

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**Author's note: Hmm, this is not my best work. Oh, well. The other chapters will be better, I promise! I'm already working on the next two chapters, so be ready! :D And if you have a request for a chapter, don't be afraid to PM me or ask in a review! I will almost certainly do it at some point, as long as it's not a lemon (I want to keep this rated T). And I will give you credit for your requests. Well, thanks for reading! ~PierceTheBre**

**Edit: Also, the next two chapters are up! Run to it, fangirls (and fanboys), run! They're much better than this. They're way more serious than this chapter. ~PierceTheBre**


	2. Chapter 2 - Love Never Dies

**This is a sadder chapter. In this, Shadow nearly makes a life-threatening decision on the day of Maria's death. Somebody saves him...but who? Probably not who you think. Also, this uses lyrics to the song "Fly Me To The Moon" by the great Frank Sinatra. They used that song at my best friend's uncle's funeral, and I thought it was fitting since it's a '50s song, dating back to when Shadow would have been first created. I do not own it. Enjoy! ~PierceTheBre**

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**Endless Shadow Oneshots, Chapter 2 - Love Never Dies**

Shadow opened his eyes. He was in his bed, having just woke up. It was only another day in the solitary existence that he lived in. Now that he had quit his job at G.U.N., the passing days were getting more and more boring.

He got up from his bed unhurriedly, and yawned. His quills were still damp from his shower last night. He glanced down at his bed, his red-colored pillow and sheets askew. It looked like he had had a wreckless sleep last night. He decided to make his bed, for once. Hey, it was something to do.

After he had made his bed, Shadow walked into his kitchen and turned on his coffee-maker. As he waited for it to warm up, he walked into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. Who was this hedgehog? He didn't recognize the male staring back. When had his eyes become so lifeless, so dead? Shadow internally laughed at that. He was the Ultimate Life Form, who had lifeless eyes. When had he started to see too many terrible things, all too quickly?

He started to walk out of the bathroom, when he noticed his razor. It wasn't lying in the soap dish inside the shower, as it usually was. Instead, it was lying on the bathroom sink, like a sharp-toothed monster ready to eat him alive.

Suddenly, realizing how the razor had gotten there, Shadow slowly glanced down at his leg._ Ahh. Right. From last night_, he thought, eyeing the zig-zagging cuts.

He had promised himself he wouldn't do that anymore. He knew Maria would have never been proud if she was alive. And he did stop, he fought the urge, for a very long time. For nearly a year. But it seems that last night, he broke his promise.

_But why_? Shadow racked his brain for a reason, any reason, and was suddenly met with an explosive headache. _Can't anything ever go right for me_? he thought. He really wished Maria were -

Maria! It was the anniversary of her death. That was why he had cut. _Stupid_, he thought. _I'm so freaking stupid. It's the anniversary of her death, and I forgot_?

Shadow hurried out of his bathroom, quickly unplugged the coffee-maker, and grabbed a coat, making sure his iPod was in his pocket, as that was where he usually kept it.

It was a cold day, ice fairies falling elegantly onto the ground. In this part of the country, it was pretty uncommon for it to snow at all, so Shadow wasn't used to this. He pulled his coat tightly around himself.

Shadow dashed into the florist shop on the corner of the road.

A fat, pot-bellied echidna stepped out from behind the counter. "Hey, young-un! How may I - "

"I need a Forget-Me-Not flower," Shadow said.

"How many?" The echidna asked.

"Just one. A live one, if you can get it."

"Not sure we have any live ones this time of year. But, I can check."

After waiting about five minutes, the man brought a single bright-blue flower. "This'll do?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you. I appreciate it." He handed the man 10 rings and left.

As Shadow walked through the cold town, he kept the flower safely inside his coat. He was careful not to damage it on his way to the cemetery.

At last, he arrived. He strode over to Maria's makeshift grave, ignoring the freezing wind gnawing at his face. When he arrived at the wood-carved tomb that he himself had made (the gravedigger didn't mind, since Shadow had done so much to prevent him from having to create more graves), he sat down and placed the flower on the gravehead.

"Maria," Shadow whispered. "I messed up last night. I was thinking of you, and I guess I couldn't handle it. I know what I did was wrong, but I hope you can forgive me."

As soon as he said it, a bone-chilling breeze swept over Shadow. It was freezing, yet it somehow made him feel at peace. He knew it wasn't Maria. He knew it was only a coincidence, yet somehow, it still made him feel the slightest bit of joy.

"At least I did something right, for once. I got your favorite flower for you, Maria. I got you a Forget-Me-Not." Shadow felt his voice crack as he said those words. "How about we listen to our favorite song?"

Shadow pulled his iPod out of his coat pocket and found the song he was looking for. He placed the iPod on the ground, lay back, and sighed in relief. These moments that occured once a year were when he was truly happy.

_Fly me to the moon_  
_Let me play among the stars_  
_Let me see what spring is like_  
_On Jupiter and Mars_  
_In other words, hold my hand_  
_In other words, baby, kiss me_

_Fill my heart with song_  
_And let me sing forever more_  
_You are all I long for_  
_All I worship and adore_  
_In other words, please be true_  
_In other words, I love you_

_Fill my heart with song_  
_Let me sing for ever more_  
_You are all I long for_  
_All I worship and adore_  
_In other words, please be true_  
_In other words, in other words_  
_I love you_

The song was by Frank Sinatra, a musician popular in the 1950s when Shadow had first been created. Maria had showed it to him the first day he had been created. He always remembered that song. He always heard that song play in his head when he imagined Maria. No, he didn't think of Maria in a romantic way. But he did love her. She had given him hope, and she had given him trust. That had all been lost along with her life.

As quickly as his mood had shifted to happy, it suddenly shifted to angry. Those G.U.N. Commanders! They had killed Maria! And what had he been doing all these years, working for G.U.N.?

Shadow stood up, almost knocking over Maria's grave. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he muttered, grabbing his iPod and running from the cemetery.

Shadow threw his coat down on the floor as soon as he had ran into his home. He had barely wiped the snow off of himself when he wandered into the bathroom. He hadn't really meant to walk in there. It was like his feet had carried him there themselves. He meant to look into the mirror again, but his eyes strayed to the flesh-eating monster next to his toothbrush. It sang its song to him. _Shadow, I can make you feel better. Shadow, I can take you to Maria. Shadow, just brush me against your skin, and everything will be all right..._

_No, it won't_, Shadow bitterly thought back. _Nothing can be okay. Not with Maria dead. A stupid razor is never going to bring her back_.

And yet, Shadow felt his hand reach out to grab it. He carefully brought the razor to his wrist, and gently placed it on his skin, prepared to rip himself open -

_"Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars, let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars..."_

Shadow gasped. His iPod! He had turned it off, though...he threw the razor down. He hadn't done it. The song had stopped him. No...Maria had stopped him. This time, he knew she was nearby. She had somehow turned his iPod on and played their song.

"Thank you so much," he whispered, his eyes closed. When he opened them, he once again was facing himself in the mirror. This time, he didn't quite see lifeless, dead eyes. These eyes were hurt, a broken crimson flame dancing in them. These eyes were hurt, yes, but these eyes were alive.

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**Author's note: I nearly teared up while writing this. ;-; This is such a sad chapter, but it's so filled with hope, too. I'm proud of myself on this one. I usually don't like stories where Shadow has issues with self-harm because it seems so cliche, but I just felt like the story fell into place that way this time. Anyway, I hope you liked it! I worked very hard on it. Constructive criticism is welcome. ~PierceTheBre**


	3. Chapter 3 - Shadow Thanksgiving Special

**Author's note: This is a Shadow Thanksgiving Special! Enjoy! ~PierceTheBre**

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**Endless Shadow Oneshots, Chapter 3 - Thanksgiving Special**

Shadow, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Eggman - who had been invited only because he had no family - sat at a rectangular table in Amy Rose's house. The smell of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie wafted through the house and up Shadow's nose. Amy and Blaze were in the kitchen, preparing the food for a Thanksgiving dinner. It was chilly outside, and the fireplace in the living room kept the Sonic Team warm.

"So, Eggman...have any plans for Christmas?" Rouge asked awkwardly.

"Um...no," Eggman replied, his hands resting on the table. "It'll just be me and my robots."

"That's a shame, I guess, " Knuckles huffed.

It had been Shadow's idea to invite the Doctor. Of course, the only one who knew that, was Amy. Shadow felt close to Eggman, with him being related to Maria and whatnot.

Rouge then said, "So...anybody found any...nice jewels lately? Knucles, have you?"

Knuckles laughed. "Like I'd tell you if I did, bat girl."

Rouge giggled. "I'm going to steal all your jewels, Knuckles."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "You people make me sick."

"Someday you'll find a beautiful girl like me, Shadow, and you won't be 'sick' of people like us then," Rouge retorted.

"You're disgusting. I'm going for a walk." With that, Shadow stood up and walked out of the room.

Once Shadow walked onto the porch, he took a seat in a wicker chair and inhaled. Cold air filled his lungs. The only girl that would ever, _ever_ be beautiful to him, was Maria. At times, though, he almost felt like he forgot about her...it had been over fifty years, after all. He would never truly forget her, of course, but sometimes, it was hard for him to imagine her face...

"Shadow! Come back in, please! I'm sorry!" Rouge was standing in the doorway. "Amy and Blaze are almost finished cooking, Shadow. Come back in and enjoy Thanksgiving with us!"

Shadow sighed. "Whatever." He stood up and walked back inside, to the same place he had been sitting before. The Sonic Team waited in silence for about five minutes, and then felt their stomachs rumble with hunger when Blaze and Amy walked out with an extremely large turkey.

"You're welcome!" Amy said as the two girls set the turkey on the table. "Now, just wait a minute while me and Blaze bring out the rest of the food."

Over the course of ten minutes, they brought out mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, dressing, broccoli casserole, bread rolls, butter, corn-on-the-cob, and pumpkin and chocolate pies.

"This is cool, Amy! Thanks!" Sonic said as he grinned at the pink hedgehog. Amy blushed.

"Okay, everyone, go ahead and eat!" Blaze said.

Just as everybody picked up their plates and were about to help themselves, Amy shouted "Wait! We have to say what we're thankful for first!"

"Oh," Tails said, his voice barely audible.

Everybody put down their plates. As Blaze and Amy sat down, Amy said, "Okay, who wants to go first?"

"I'll go!" Sonic said. "Well...I'm very thankful for this dinner you made for us, Amy. It's going to be great. I'm thankful for my legs, obviously. I'm thankful for the wind that blows through my quills - "

"Sonic," Eggman said sternly. "You're getting a little big-headed."

"And I'm very, very thankful for my running shoes! I'm also thankful for Eggman not trying to kill me at the moment. Oh, and I'm thankful for - "

"Okay, we get it. You're very thankful," Blaze interrupted. "Tails?"

"I'm thankful for my high IQ!" Tails said. "I'm thankful for technology! And also, I'm thankful for Sonic."

Sonic smiled. "I guess Knuckles is going next?"

"Yeah, I guess," Knuckles said. "I'm thankful for the Master Emerald, and I'm thankful for...um...my rapping skills."

The whole table busted up laughing, except for Shadow and Amy.

"I'll go now," Amy said. "I'm very, very, _very_ thankful for my Sonikku! I'm also thankful for my Piko Piko hammer, so I can teach him who's marrying who around here!"

The table fell silent. "Awkward," Sonic finally whispered.

"I guess I'll go next," Blaze deadpanned. "I'm thankful for fire. I'm thankful for our heroes. I'm thankful for the Sol Emeralds."

"Ooh, ooh, I'll go next!" Rouge shouted. "I'm so thankful for jewels! I'm also thankful for men. They make my life better."

"Awkward, Rouge," Sonic said again.

"I'm thankful for my robots," Eggman said, without volunteering. "They're my companions. I'm thankful for my high IQ, as well. And you may not believe it, but I'm thankful that you all keep me young. Hohohohoho!"

Everyone giggled at that.

"So, everyone's said what they're thankful for? We can begin eating now!" Amy said.

"Wait! Shadow hasn't said what he's thankful for yet!" Tails inquired.

Shadow chuckled. "No. I'd rather not share what I'm thankful for with you guys. I appreciate the concern, though."

"C'mon, Shadow, be a good sport," Sonic said, socking Shadow playfully in the arm.

"Don't hit me, Faker," Shadow snapped.

"Please, Shadow! I'd like to hear what you're thankful for," Tails said.

"Come on, Shadow!"

"Tell us, little guy!"

"Who said that?!" Shadow growled. "No. I'd rather keep it to myself."

"Shadow, everyone else did it." Amy said.

"No."

"Please? For me?"

"For nobody." Shadow snapped.

"For Maria?" Rouge asked.

"What the hell does Maria have to do with this?!" Shadow jumped up from his chair, nearly knocking over the table in his rage.

"I...I was just trying to help..."

"Well, you didn't, did you? No."

The group looked up at him, all their eyes wide. "Shadow..." Eggman said. "You need to pull yourself together."

Shadow took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "All right, fine. You guys want to know what I'm thankful for? I'm thankful for everything Maria gave me. She gave me acceptance, trust, love...she gave me friendship. You know...I'm thankful for what you guys have given me, too. Hateful, untrusting gestures. Dirty looks. Middle fingers. It almost hurts me. But it makes me want to try harder, to be a better hedgehog. I'm thankful for all of that, too. Now, have a nice day." With that, he skated out of Amy's house, for the second time that day.

Sonic sighed. "I guess I better go talk to 'im."

Just as he was about to dash out the door, Tails said, "Don't. Let him blow off some steam."

"I don't wanna eat without him," Knuckles muttered. "That's just not right."

Sonic shrugged. "He might come back."

Blaze closed the door, which Shadow had left wide open, while she said, "He probably won't."

"Can I...be excused?" Rouge softly asked, and ran into Amy's bathroom.

"She must feel pretty bad," Knuckles said.

"I would," Sonic said.

"So, um, how about...how about Paramore these days?" Amy asked, trying to lighten the now-dim mood.

"They're too mainstream now, Amy," Tails said gruffly.

Amy sighed. "Okay. I know we haven't eaten yet, and it's taking a long time. But we shouldn't eat without Shadow. I guess we can just wait for him to come back."

Nobody said anything, except for Knuckles, who chuckled and said "Doubt he will."

* * *

Shadow walked to a quiet little meadow, a place he went to when he needed to think. Usually, his thoughts would drift to Maria, but this time, he thought about how those incompetent fools had treated him. Was it immature for him to just walk out on a Thanksgiving meal like that? Probably. Should he go back and apologize? Most definitely. Did he _really_ want to? No, not particuarly.

He sighed. "I guess I should go back." Then, suddenly, his thoughts _did_ drift to Maria. He envisioned her long, blonde hair and her soft, feminine features. Was she watching him? Did she see what he had done? They deserved it, didn't they? No, she wouldn't think so, even though he, himself, did. "I should just let them have their special day."

He skated back to Amy's house, inhaling sharply as he knocked on the door. He stared at the ground, his arms crossed across his chest.

Blaze opened the door. "Shadow? Oh, you're back. That's great. Come in."

Shadow didn't say anything, and instead sat back down where he had originally been seated, to the right of Sonic and the left of Rouge. Nobody had eaten yet.

"You...you all didn't eat without me?"

"Of course not, buddy," Sonic said, giving him his signature "thumbs-up" signal.

Shadow shrugged. "Well. Thanks, then." He glanced at Amy, who smiled brightly at him.

"I'm glad you came back, Shadow! We can eat now!"

Eggman stood up quickly. "Just one more thing before we eat."

Everyone groaned, except for Shadow.

"I have another thing I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for Shadow. He has been a great assistance to me, at times."

Blaze sat down in her chair, and grinned. "I'm also thankful for Shadow! Whether he realizes it or not, he's an amazing hero."

Tails followed along, saying, "Yeah, Shadow, you're great!"

Rouge then slid back into her chair, her eyes swollen and red, presumably from crying. She picked up where Tails had left off. "I'm so thankful for your partnership, Shadow. There are so many missions I wouldn't have been able to complete without you."

"I'm thankful for you, too, Shadow!" Amy exclaimed.

"I'm also thankful for you, bro," Knuckles said. "We should chill sometime."

Everyone discreetly looked at Sonic, waiting for him to give his two cents. "Well, ya know," Sonic said as he stood up and put his hand on Shadow's arm, "Shadow can be a great ally, but he's also a pain in my butt, always trying to outdo me. I mean, who can actually outdo_ me_?! Anyway, that's not the point here. The point is, I'm thankful for somebody who can actually put up a competition with me. I'm thankful for you, Shadzy! And by the way, wanna have a race later?"

Shadow shrugged, trying to hide the small smile that was creeping its way onto his lips. He didn't quite enjoy Sonic calling him "Shadzy", but he did appreciate the meaning. "Thanks, you guys," he said quietly.

"Okay. Now, can we _please_ dig in?" Knuckles shouted.

"Yes! Dig in, before the food gets cold!" Amy replied.

Everyone began piling the food onto their plates, as the clanging of silverware and laughter filled the room.

_Whether they realize it or not, I'm honestly thankful for them, too_, Shadow thought as he took a tiny bite of turkey. _And Maria, I'm thankful for you, too._

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**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this! I know the only country that celebrates Thanksgiving at this time is the U.S., but everyone in every country has _something_ to be thankful for, right? I appreciate your reading! ~PierceTheBre**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Bet

**A/N: This is a comedy chapter, since the other chapters were kind of depressing! Enjoy! Shadow and Sonic make a bet, to see how long Shadow can stand Sonic. Who will win? Also, this uses lyrics from the song ****_This is Halloween_****, from the film ****_The Nightmare Before Christmas_****, which I obviously don't own. ~PierceTheBre**

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**Endless Shadow Oneshots, Chapter 4 - The Bet**

"So, will you hold my hand if I get scared, Shadzy?"

Shadow glared at the blue hedgehog next to him. "Why would you be scared of _Howl's Moving Castle_?"

Sonic didn't acknowledge that, and instead repeated, "Hold my hand! You're going to make me cry!"

"No!" Shadow retorted. "If you get scared, hold your own freaking hand."

Sonic pouted, his bottom lip twitching as he tried to conceal his laughter. "Make me, daddy!"

Shadow nearly leaped out of his seat and slapped Sonic. "Faker, if you call me 'daddy' _one_ more time, I will personally rearrange your face."

"Aww, you're going to make me sexier! You're the best BFF ever, Shadow!"

Shadow flattened his ears against his head, a sign of irritation and anger. "Just shut up and watch the stupid movie. I paid for this, the least you can do is be quiet and watch it."

"But it's only showing the previews right now!"

"I paid for you to watch these pointless previews, too!" Shadow glared at Sonic, who was laughing and flailing his arms around like a child. Shadow felt his eyes grow wider when one of Sonic's arms knocked over Shadow's extra-large Root Beer. "Look what you did. Go get me another one."

Sonic stuck out his tongue. "Make me!"

"You childish little brat, if you don't get up and get me a new soda right now, I will shoot your brains out!"

"Whatever you say, daddy."

Shadow sat down in his chair in a huff. He'd agreed to take Sonic to the movies on one condition...that he would _never_ talk to him again afterward. The deal was, if Shadow got too annoyed and left, Sonic could follow Shadow around and harrass him all day. If Shadow could actually sit through the whole movie with Sonic, then Sonic would not bother him anymore, as he so loved to do. The thing was, Sonic was making this extra-hard for Shadow, with his purposeful immaturity.

"I got you your drink, daddy!"

Shadow took the extra-large soda out of Sonic's hands. "At least you're good for one thing, Faker," he snapped, and then took a sip of his drink. As soon as he did, he spit it out in disgust. "Faker! You got me lemonade! How dare you get me my least favorite drink?!"

"Who are you talking to?!" Sonic replied.

"YOU, FAKER!"

"No, no, not prison!"

"What the?!" Shadow snarled. "Faker, sit your butt down and shut up! The movie is starting."

"_This is Halloween! This is Halloween! Pumpkins scream in the dead of night!_" Sonic sang at the top of his lungs.

"You're embarassing me! Shut your mouth!" Shadow whacked Sonic in the back of the head as other viewers turned around and shushed them.

"It's bad-selfie-Sunday!" Sonic exclaimed as he whipped out his iPhone and took a picture with Shadow. Sonic winked at the camera, his thumb sticking up and his tongue hanging out. Shadow just glared at the phone, annoyance glimmering in his crimson eyes.

Sonic grinned at the photo after he took it. "This is totally going on Instagram!"

Shadow facepalmed himself as two other audience members turned around and shushed them even louder. "You're supposed to turn off your phone, Faker."

"Sorry, daddy," Sonic said as he turned off his phone and put it into his handbag.

They watched the movie in surprising silence until it was about to the middle of the movie, at the part where the lead character says "I see no point in living if I can't be beautiful".

Suddenly, Sonic jumped onto the back of his seat and cried, "YOU HEAR THAT? I SEE NO POINT IN LIVING IF I CAN'T BE BEAUTIFUL!"

"Shutup!" A pre-teen girl snapped.

"I am invincible!" Sonic shouted back. "I am Sonic the Hedgehog! Hear me roar!"

"I'm going to call security in here right now if you don't sit down and be quiet," An older gentleman said.

Sonic pouted. "It's not my fault! It's my daddy's for not disciplining me! Daddy, spank me!"

Everyone glared at Shadow.

"I am not his father!" Shadow retorted. "I apologize for his behavior. I'll keep him quiet for the rest of the movie."

"Hope so," An elderly woman muttered.

Shadow rolled his eyes, and sighed. "You're trying really hard to win this bet, aren't you, Faker? Well, you're going down!"

Sonic winked at Shadow. "So, you're going to hold my hand now, daddy?"

Shadow sighed again. These next 30 minutes would be the longest of his life.

* * *

"You'll be coming with me," A security guard said. "We've had various reports of you two disrupting this viewing!"

"You _two_?!" Shadow shouted, enraged. "I've been trying to keep him quiet!"

"SHUT YOUR FACE, DADDY!"

"That's it," The security guard huffed. "Come on."

"I can't leave," Shadow murmurred. "You can take him out, but I've been behaving, so I should be allowed to stay here..."

The security guard narrowed his eyes at the ebony hedgehog. "Okay, fine..."

Shadow sighed in relief.

"...But if I hear one complaint about you, out you go."

"Will do." Shadow gave Sonic a devious look. The cobalt hedgehog responded by sticking out his tongue and making a pouting face.

"Daddy! No! Don't let them take me away! I thought what we had was SPECIAAAL!"

Shadow sighed. "Sorry, Faker," he muttered to himself. "I couldn't let you win, could I?"

With that, he walked out of the movie theater, content that he had won his bet with the blue hedgehog. Then, a sudden impact made him tumble down the ramp leading out of the theater. He sat up in an irritated huff.

"What the...?!" He shouted. He turned around to see none other than Sonic standing over him, smiling triumphantly.

"What do you want, Faker?!" Shadow growled. "I won the bet, so leave me alone!"

Sonic laughed. "Oh, Shadow, you're so funny. I guess you didn't realize I had my fingers crossed the whole time we were making that bet, did you? So...let's just say it never happened. I just wanted to annoy the crap out of you."

Shadow leaped up, his ears flat against his head and his face twisting into a vicious snarl. "I'm going to kill you, Faker!"

"Well, I guess that's my cue to get out of here," Sonic said, as he dashed off down the sidewalk.

"You're dead meat!" Shadow snapped as he chased after Sonic. And everyone saw two blurs that day, one blue, one ebony, sprinting off into the sunset.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry I haven't updated lately! But now I'm on Christmas Break so I should be able to! ~PierceTheBre**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Thing

**A/N: Shadow and Sonic are sitting around talking, when they suddenly discover a frightening beast! What is the creature they find? This is another comedy chapter. It's based on a story in Alvin Schwartz's ****_Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark_****. Thank you for reading! ~PierceTheBre**

* * *

**Endless Shadow Oneshots, Chapter 5 - The Thing**

Shadow and Sonic were finally beginning to get along. They decided to hang out one fall night. They didn't go anywhere special, just sat on a fencepost and talked about Eggman...and Chaos Emeralds.

There was a field of turnips across the road from them, which Shadow noticed, were moving. Suddenly, they saw something crawl out of the field and onto the road. It looked like a bat, but at the same time it did not. Shadow couldn't quite make out what it was. Then, it crawled back into the turnip field, as quickly as it had appeared.

"What was that?!" Sonic cried.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just some stupid drunk. It probably won't show up again," Shadow replied.

After about 30 minutes had passed, the thing appeared again. This time, it crawled about halfway onto the road and then stood up. It stared at the two hedgehogs for a minute, and they stared back. Shadow still couldn't tell what it was in the dark. It then turned back around and walked back into the turnip field.

Then, it came out a third time and stood right in front of them. Sonic screamed in terror, and Shadow was just about to attack it, but then it turned around...and started twerking!

"What the...?!" Shadow cried. The two hedgehogs were now scared, and started running. But Shadow stopped Sonic, and said "Wait...I think I know who it was."

"Who it was?!" Sonic shouted. "That was a demon from my worst nightmares!"

"It was Rouge!" Shadow snapped. "We're being foolish. Look, we can go back right now and I'll prove it to you. You can even touch her if you don't believe me!"

After Shadow had practically forced Sonic to agree, they went back to the fencepost they had been sitting on. The bat-creature was still there, but its rear-end was now facing their direction and twerking even harder. Up close, they could see it had on black tights, a white bra, and thigh-high white boots.

"Eww," Shadow said under his breath.

"Umm, Rouge?" Sonic asked. The twerking bat didn't answer. Instead, she began shaking her butt faster.

Sonic walked in front of it, so he was looking into its face. It had bright blue eyeshadow, way too much blush, and red lipstick. "Uhh..." he started, "Rouge...if this is really you...please stop." He then poked her in the cheek.

The bat screamed in his face.

"AHH!" Sonic screamed back. He took Shadow's wrist and ran back to Sonic's house.

"Whew, that was close," Sonic said when they finally arrived. "I guess I better lock the doors." He turned around and put in the deadbolt. He glanced in the peephole he had in his door, and he saw none other than the bat twerking on his porch!

"What the heck?!" Sonic screeched. "Shadow, look at this!"

Shadow glanced through the peephole. "Oh, God, it's as disgusting as ever," he muttered. "I have to put a stop to this."

He used Chaos Control, threw open the door, and ran with the thing until he got to the lake. He tied up its arms and legs with some spare rope he happened to find, tossed it in, ran back to Sonic's home, and unfroze time.

"I think I solved this problem," Shadow said with a smirk.

* * *

Sometime later, Rouge the Bat - the real one - was going to perform at Club Rouge. Shadow had been backstage with her when she was getting ready. She put on red lipstick, white foundation, bubblegum-pink blush, and her trademark blue eyeshadow up to her eyebrows.

"How do I look, Shadow?" She turned around to face him, and he leaped back in horror. She looked exactly like the twerking beast he and Sonic had seen a few months before.

"Rouge!" Shadow exclaimed, "Is this really you?!"

"Duh, Shadow! Don't be silly. What's the matter with you, big boy?"

Shadow ignored her foolish remarks. "Do you...do you know how to...twerk?"

Rouge giggled. "I'm a performing artist, Shadow! Of course I do!"

Shadow immediately dashed over to Rouge. "Well, then, I can't let you go out there and terrorize all those people with your so-called _act_." He grabbed a sponge she had used to apply her foundation, and gagged her with it. He then grabbed a stage rope and tied her arms and legs up, just like he had done to the monster from before. Finally, he took a bottle of makeup remover and a cloth napkin.

As soon as Rouge realized what was about to happen, she vigorously shook her head and tried to stand up.

"This must be done." Shadow poured the makeup remover onto the cloth and slowly wiped away her "face."

"Mmm!" Rouge tried to cry out. After Shadow had removed her makeup, he threw the cloth down and grabbed her makeup.

"I know makeup is like a necessity to you, but you can't go around scaring people." With that, Shadow threw down Rouge's makeup and let it break. "I'll buy you some more, I give you my word. Just...just let me buy less vibrant hues for you next time."

Shadow then untied Rouge and pulled the sponge out of her mouth. "What the heck was that for?!" She shouted.

"...You wouldn't understand," Shadow replied, his mind drafting back to the nightmare he had witnessed in October. "No one, except perhaps Faker, could understand..."

* * *

**A/N: Ha! What a fun chapter that was for me to write!** **:3 The Christmas Special I'm writing should be up either tomorrow or on Christmas Day, and that will be a serious chapter. Thanks for your time! ~PierceTheBre**


	6. Chapter 6 - Shadow Christmas Special

**A/N: I am so sorry this is late! I couldn't log in, for some reason. Anyway, here is the Shadow Christmas Special! I hope you like it! ~PierceTheBre**

* * *

**Endless Shadow Oneshots, Chapter 6 - Shadow Christmas Special**

Shadow felt a slight smile creep onto his face as he watched the first snow fall from his living room window. He had a fluffy blanket wrapped around himself, and a cup of hot chocolate sitting on the small desk next to him. The skin was forming on the top of the drink, for Shadow hadn't touched it. Instead, he had subconsciously made it while thinking about Maria. _I know she loved the snow. She talked about it all the time, and once, on the A.R.K., she made a cup of hot chocolate for both of us. I disliked it, but she loved it._ He had made the drink in her honor.

He took a long look around his living room. He had a small Christmas tree up, with no presents underneath and nothing but a star ornament on the top. Shadow hadn't gotten a present in 50 years, when Maria and Professor Gerald had given him a picture frame and a camera, so Shadow could always have them in his memory, Maria had said. Later that night, they all took a picture together by the Christmas tree up on the A.R.K.. When Maria had blasted Shadow off into space, he'd secretly taken the photograph and the picture frame with him. It sat up in his room now, the one material posession he had from Maria, his one way to remember her.

Shadow was jerked out of his memory when he heard his doorbell ring. "Visitors? Just when it starts snowing?" he mumbled to himself as he got up. Despite being irritated that he had been interrupted from his thoughts, he had to admit that between the mixture of the snow on the ground outside, the starless night sky, the cup of hot chocolate that was now growing cold, and the sound of nothing except for the crackling fireplace, he was growing lonely.

When Shadow opened the door, he was met with an explosive chorus of voices.

"_We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year! Good tidings to you, wherever you are_ - "

"What is this?!" Shadow snapped. The Sonic Team was lined up horizontally, with Sonic in the middle. Tails (who had been singing noticably off-key) and Knuckles were on either side of him. The others were Rouge and Amy. They were all shivering, huddled up in their winter coats.

"We're singing Christmas carols, Shadow!" Amy squealed as her eyes grew wide.

"I can see that," Shadow scoffed. "Why do you have to come to my house? Isn't there any other people you can harass with your pitiful noise?"

Knuckles laughed. "I thought his reaction would have been worse."

"Guess he's in a good mood today," Sonic teased. And honestly, other than feeling lonesome, Shadow was in a fairly good mood.

"What you're doing is so cheesy, I can't even believe you all could be this pathetic." He then smirked. "Actually, maybe I can."

Rouge let out a flirtatious little laugh. "You think this is cheesy? Just wait until you see what we have planned."

Shadow looked through the group of anthropomorphic animals as he felt his suspiscion rising. "What exactly would that be?"

Sonic grinned. "Actually, old pal, we've got a lot of things planned for you." With that, he pulled out a small gift.

"What is that?" Shadow asked.

"A present, obviously," Sonic replied.

"For who?"

"You."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes...!"

"Why?"

"Why not?" Sonic said. "You're an okay guy, when you want to be. And decent people deserve decent gifts on Christmas."

Shadow sighed. He wasn't used to Sonic making kind gestures like this.

"I didn't get anyone else anything."

"It's fine. We all already exchanged gifts. We just didn't want you to be left alone on a holiday like today."

"I'm perfectly capable here by myself. Why don't you all just leave?" Shadow said.

"No, Shadow!" Tails shouted. "Please. We all have a present for you. Let us spread some cheer."

"Go spread it elsewhere."

"No!" Amy snapped. "We're going to make your holiday special, and you're going to like it!"

Shadow glared at the pink hedgehog, who barely cowered back. "You think talking like that to _me_ is going to get me to agree to this?"

Amy shrugged. "It's worth a shot!"

"...Okay, fine. Let me see the presents. Although, I can't promise that I'll like them."

"That's fine, buddy, as long as you aren't lonely this Christmas," Sonic said.

Shadow didn't reply. Instead, he watched as Tails walked over and pulled a medium-sized box out of his coat. "Here, Shadow," Tails said as he handed the gift to Shadow. "I hope you really like it."

Shadow continued to remain silent as he opened the lid to the box. Inside was a pair of brand-new hovercraft shoes, designed specifically to fit his style and shoe size.

"I made them myself," Tails muttered. "I worked on them before I knew everyone else was going to get together and do this."

Shadow purposefully avoided Tails's eyes as he said "Thank you, Tails." He set the box down and looked around, waiting to see who else would offer him a gift.

"I want to give you this next present," Knuckles said. He walked onto Shadow's porch and handed him a extremely small package. "Careful, it's fragile."

Shadow unwrapped it, and then suddenly felt a strange, yet familiar, senstaion hit him. "This can't be...?"

"It is. It's just a little shard. The Master Emerald is powerful enough that it doesn't need it to keep my island afloat."

In Shadow's hands was a tiny piece of the Master Emerald. It was barely two inches long, but he knew it must've been hard for Knuckles to part with it. "Thank you."

Knuckles backed away, and then Rouge walked up. "My present is similar to Knuckles. You had better like it. If you don't, I will drop kick you."

Shadow glanced at Rouge, and then brushed her comment off as sheer stupidity. He opened it, and in his hands he held a Chaos Emerald.  
"Wow, thanks, Rouge. This is a great present."

"Better be," she huffed as she sauntered back over to her original position.

"Ooh, ooh, here's my present, Shadow!" Amy cried as she tossed over her present, which Shadow nearly missed catching. This present wasn't wrapped, or in a box. Instead, it was merely a black-and-grey checkered scarf with a Christmas bow taped on.

"Hmph."

Shadow was just about to walk back into his house, when Sonic said, "Hey. I thought you were saving the best for last!"

"Heh. Right. Can't forget about Faker's present," Shadow muttered. He turned around and met Sonic's eyes. For once, the green in them didn't imply laughter or ignorance. Instead, they seemed to suggest sympathy.

Suddenly, Shadow walked over and grabbed Sonic's present out of his hand, slowly but forcefully. He carefully unwrapped it. He felt small tears form in the corners of his eyes, and tried to lower his head so no one would see them fall. He could tell what the gift was before he had even completely unwrapped it.

It was a picture frame.

Shadow felt Sonic put a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "I got it in case you had any photos of you and Maria. You know, if you ever wanted to frame any that you had. If you don't have any, well, I don't know..."

Shadow discreetly tried to wipe his tears away, and looked up. "This is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received, Sonic. Thank you so much."

Shadow saw a grin creep onto Sonic's lips. "You didn't call me Faker...!"

Shadow shrugged. "I suppose I didn't." He glanced at all the people who had made the effort to include him in their Christmas, and smiled tightly.. "Thank you, each of you. I wish I could get you all something in return, but...I don't believe there's time now."

"That's okay, Shadow!" Tails said as he buttoned up his coat. "The only gift I wanted was to see you smile!"

_God, could he have been any cheesier?_

The others chuckled in agreement to Tails's statement. After they had all shouted out, "Merry Christmas, Shadow!", they began their separate journeys home...all except for Sonic, who lingered behind.

"Hey, Shad, the only Christmas present I wanted was for you to call me by my real name!"

"And it will never happen again, trust me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Sonic, "That's no way to talk to the Fastest Thing Alive!"

Shadow bared his teeth at Sonic, and growled, "Get off of my property, Faker."

"Whatever you say, man." Sonic turned around and had just started to sprint off, when he shouted back, "Merry Christmas, Shadow the Hedgehog!"

"Thanks a lot, Faker!" Shadow replied. He scooped up his presents from his porch, and went into his house. He went upstairs and placed all of the gifts onto his bed, and lit a scentless candle. They had truly surprised him tonight. It was a nice surprise, but a surprise indeed.

He went back downstairs, to the desk where the hot chocolate was still sitting. He grabbed it, and returned to his bedroom. There, on a shelf above his bookcase, was the bronze-bordered picture frame Maria had given him so long ago. He'd secretly taken it with him when he'd been blasted off into space by Maria herself. He pulled the photograph out carefully, and placed it into the golden-bordered one Sonic had just given him. Of course, he would keep the picture frame Maria had given him. He always would. He placed it in a drawer on his nightstand.

He took a step back from his nightstand, and looked closely at it. It had a lot of dust on it, and although Shadow liked to clean, he hadn't in a while, since his thoughts had been on Maria. He then took his finger and wrote _Merry Christmas to All _into the dirt. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. He'd probably wipe away the evidence of it in the morning.

With that, Shadow took one last look at the hot chocolate, blew out the candle, and crawled into bed.


	7. Chapter 7 - Legacy

**A/N: This is a poem, from Shadow's point of view. Kind of sad. ;-; Enjoy. ~PierceTheBre (By the way, for some reason I couldn't make the chapter title in bold. So, just ignore that issue.)**

* * *

**Endless Shadow Oneshots, Chapter 7 - Legacy**

_I've missed her embrace forever_  
_Just wanted to touch her face_  
_I want to know how it feels, just to stop it all_  
_And I choke down the tears that want to fall_

_I've never wanted to escape this prison, never_  
_I'm safe and comforable in my own private hell_  
_I've been content without knowing how to break it off_  
_And surely, surely, I'd overcome it by now_

_Imagine everyone you loved is dead_  
_I've blamed myself, neverending sleep in this bed_  
_And you're the one, it was your fault_  
_You're the one that never cared at all_


End file.
